The Chalice (Luna Vampire Series)

by Christine Asher

  "Come here, Amelia," Tsedaka ordered, his no-nonsense demeanor pressing us on. "Kneel in front of the princess. Ah, very good. Now, push up the sleeve of your right arm and give her your wrist."

  She did as he asked without question. And before I knew it, I sat there holding her wrist in my hand. Thoroughly baffled, I watched while the room grew silent once more. What were they expecting me to do? And then recognition hit. They wanted me to suck her blood. Oh, shit. C'mon, think fast vampire princess.

  For the barest of moments, I simply stared at the girl and grappled with my problem. I took in her pristine heart-shaped face, the thick hair falling past her shoulders, and the nervous glint filling her hazel eyes. After which, I cautiously returned my attention to Tsedaka. "Uh, I'm not hungry," I mumbled, scrunching my nose in a show of distaste. Did they actually think I'd sprout fangs and attack her? Yeah, sure.

  "You will feed, my daughter," he growled. "However, if these blood slaves aren't to your liking, I can have them disposed of and others brought in their place. Is that your wish?"

  "No, um, no," I backpedaled, heartbeat exploding from my chest. What did he mean by dispose? Was he saying he'd kill 'em? Jesus, this situation kept getting worse and worse. "Seriously, um, these ones are fine. There's no reason to dispose of anyone, I'm..."

  "Feed then!" Tsedaka yelled, threatening me with his hand. "Or suffer the consequences!"

  I shuddered at its proximity. Less than an inch away. Shit! Shit! Shit! My eyes bounced around in desperation, eventually settling on Adrian. He stood in a nonchalant pose, although, his brows were furrowed with concern. He'd said he would help me, yet where was the guy when I needed him? Probably just playing games, the jerk.

  "I'm here as promised, Luna. That said, you mustn't reveal our hand. So, shift your gaze elsewhere." I froze in complete and utter confusion. The voice sounded exactly the same as Adrian's, but his mouth hadn't moved. Plus, nobody else seemed to hear it.

  "Listen, you must break eye contact. The others can't discover that we're communicating mind to mind."

  I fidgeted awkwardly, astounded at my psyche's obvious manifestations of schizophrenia. "Uh, is that really you, Adrian?" I asked in response, clearly forming the words in my head.

  "Yes, trouble, it's me. And you haven't gone crazy. Now, do as I asked and look away."

  In a state of cold numbness, I separated my eyes from his and stared down at Amelia's wrist. I didn't know whether to laugh in astonishment, cry out in alarm, or scream in fear. Regardless, intuition told me to remain impassive. So, I plastered on my best blank face and continued our strange conversation. "For real, you're telepathic? You, um, you can hear everything that's going on inside my mind?"

  "No. I only perceive the thoughts you have regarding me. When you think in my direction, you transmit a signal that I can pick up on. It's similar to the ringing of a cell phone, albeit, devoid of any actual ringing. It's more of a feeling and quite challenging to explain."

  "Everybody else, they're able to hear my thoughts too? And that's why you kept telling me to avoid thinking about our meetings?"

  "Indeed," he affirmed. "Nonetheless, most of our kind merely eavesdrop on bits and pieces. You have to be fairly powerful in order to breach another vampire's defenses entirely. Furthermore, communicating in the manner in which we are now is a true rarity, virtually impossible unless both individuals are exceptionally strong. Until you pushed into our minds earlier, I hadn't even considered telepathy to be a possibility."

  "You aren't making any sense. I didn't push..."

  "Tsedaka reprimanded you. In turn, you drove the pain into everyone here. Did you not notice us all cringing and gasping?"

  "No, I couldn't do a thing other than feel my skin burning and, well, be offended by the crowd's laughter afterwards."

  "Not to worry, new vampires often have difficulty controlling their powers in moments of stress. Frankly, I doubt Tsedaka expected that impressive of a reaction on your part. Surely, if he'd anticipated it, he wouldn't have harmed you. And, to clarify, the audience's behavior wasn't purposefully malicious, it's purely an act put forth to pacify the king."

  "I, I don't..."

  "You must feed, Luna!" Tsedaka boomed, interrupting our interchange. "I grow tired of waiting! Create the bond!"

  "Crap! Adrian, what am I supposed to do? I can't feed or whatever. And create the bond?"

  "Yes, the first feeding from a human does create a bond. I'd explain further, however, the king's impatience leaves us short on time. Try sniffing Amelia's wrist; her scent will help your fangs extend."

  "You've gotta be kidding..."

  "No, Luna, I'm deadly serious. We don't have the time to argue. You must follow my instructions."

  "But..."

  "No buts. We don't want another repeat of earlier. And say something to the king, ensure that he knows you're listening to him."

  In spite of my pervasive need to object, I decided to acquiesce. I mean, why not give it a try? Once they saw I didn't have fangs, well, it'd put an end to this madness. "Okay, Tsedaka," I placated, my voice tense. "Settle down, I'm gonna do it. Just give me a little space."

  And with that, I lifted her wrist closer. I took a big whiff and, to my sheer horror, felt pressure above my eye teeth along with a disturbing shifting sensation. What in the hell?! Immediately, I dropped the girl's wrist and cringed back in repulsion. Stupefied, my breaths came in rapid bursts while my audience returned to more of their annoying murmuring. A few of them even shouted snide comments at me. So much for it all being an act, the bastards.

  Tentatively, I reached up and inspected my mouth to find a set of fangs protruding directly behind my eye teeth. They were huge, about an inch long, and made closing my jaw a real challenge. Son of a bitch!

  "Princess," Amelia squeaked, her face reddening under a layer of freckles. "I'm sorry I displease you. I wish..."

  "It's not your fault," I insisted. "I simply don't wanna hurt you, or anybody, for that matter. I can't do this."

  "Princess, it won't hurt. I've been raised in preparation for this day. If you choose not to accept me, my life will have been pointless." She gazed at me beseechingly, a single tear falling onto her cheek. The sweet doll, they really did a number on her...

  "William, go fetch another and dispose of this one," Tsedaka roared, causing Amelia to blink up at me worriedly.

  "No," I hissed, quickly retaliating. "She's fine. I want her. I just needed a minute to, uh, collect myself."

  In response, the old man shot me a scowl that made my stomach quaver. "As I am king, I will have her replaced if you continue to refuse. You've got thirty seconds."

  I used my time to take one last sideways glance around the room. What options were left? If I didn't feed, Tsedaka would assuredly keep putting people to death until I gave in. Also, I'd need to eat at some point, right? It's sad to admit but I most likely was a, well, shit. I couldn't bring myself to think the words. Damn.

  Knowing I lacked even another moment, I grabbed Amelia's hand. And that's how it went, how I lost my innocence. With great reluctance, I let instinct or maybe all the vampire bites I'd seen in the movies takeover and, in a flash, hot blood was filling my mouth. You'd think it'd be nasty, yet I experienced quite the opposite. It was akin to eating the most decadent chocolate dessert while simultaneously slamming ten shots of high octane espresso.

  I swallowed eagerly, ultimately focusing on Amelia's eyes. My reality had narrowed down to only me and her, making the rest of the people watching us unimportant. And, when she shuddered in pleasure, I perceived her feelings of absolute bliss as if I shared her body. It relieved me, this understanding that she enjoyed it. At least, I wasn't causing her pain.

  "Amelia," I thought to her, wondering if we'd be able to communicate telepathically as well. "Can you hear me?" Her eyes grew to the size of saucers, although, I detected nothing in my mind. Interesting. So, she could hear me but not speak to me...

  "That's enough child. You must save room for
the other," Tsedaka cautioned, pointing toward Amelia's white clothed counterpart.

  Jolted from my euphoric daze, I promptly released the girl's wrist. Her demeanor was that of perfect happiness as she bowed and returned to stand beside her companion. She then pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket and used it to sop up the blood that was flowing from the jagged wound. Watching this, I felt awful. What had I done? The poor thing, I'd sucked her blood and taken pleasure in it. Jeesh.

  A few queasy shivers later, my next meal stepped forward. The young man was attractive with his short brown hair styled into one of those trendy shaggy looks. He greeted me confidently and, of course, bowed deeply before kneeling in supplication. "I'm Lucien and I'm honored to serve you, princess Luna."

  I almost rolled my eyes. All the bowing and princessing, it just plain rubbed me the wrong way. I mean, considering he was letting me drink his blood, shouldn't the groveling be in reverse. Shouldn't I be stooping at his feet?

  Trying my best to stave off the sarcasm, I hurriedly caught hold of his wrist and chomped. He clearly wanted me to bite him as much as Amelia did. So, why not? Besides, it was either this or he'd die. And, in my opinion, being bitten was definitely the lesser of two evils. Despite the rationale, a part of me still cringed at my role in the whole mess.

  Nonetheless, the instant his thick blood surged down my throat, I cast my troubles aside and became immersed in his emotions. Contentment, honor, and satisfaction. Apparently, Lucien took great pride in being my midnight snack. And that he was, my yummy juicy tidbit, my red velvet smoothie. I mentally shook myself at the absurdity, giggles teasing the edges of my control. C'mon Luna, keep your shit together.

  And, while I struggled to maintain a straight face, my food launched into a bout of chuckling that shook his entire body. Oh god, had he picked up on my idiotic ramblings? As if volume were a signal, his boyish chuckling increased to a ruckus laughter. Yep, he'd heard me. Talk about embarrassing. Sigh.

  For real, could my life get any worse? First, I find out that the freaks can snoop inside my brain. Then I catch on to the fact that I'm a bloodsucker. And now, my victim laughs at me. Yep, that's my luck. Fluctuating between disgust and humiliation, I swiftly discarded his wrist and dabbed at the leftovers on my lips.

  "Please allow me, princess," Lucien volunteered lightheartedly, stepping closer with a white handkerchief in hand. "No reason for you to dirty yourself."

  "Um, no," I protested, waving him off in a frantic rush. "I don't need somebody cleaning me up like I'm a five year old. I'll do fine on my own, thanks."

  "Okay, that's cool," he mumbled. And within moments, he'd sheepishly rejoined Amelia.

  I was still gazing at the pair when Adrian popped back into my head. His presence soothed me, evoking calmness in a way very similar to a mother's hug. "You did very well, darling. I'm proud of you."

  "I sensed their feelings," I thought, deciding to conveniently leave out our embarrassing little incident. "Is that normal?"

  "Yes, it's very common. Since they're bonded to you, you'll always possess the ability to touch their emotions. That said, controlling it will require some practice."

  "Yeah, I can see that; it was totally strange." I paused, exhaling in hopes of centering myself. "So, um, about the bonding. I don't really get what you're saying."

  "When a human is bonded it means that they're integrally connected with their vampire. If another of our kind tries to feed from them, it'll cause both the slave and the vampire considerable discomfort. Moreover, being bonded assures loyalty. Your slaves cannot disobey direct orders or lie to you. Essentially, their will is yours."

  Feelings of sadness and regret crashed through me. Instead of saving Amelia and Lucien's lives, I'd turned them into mindless drones. "So, what? They're my puppets? Like how William and Petrus are to Tsedaka?"

  "Yes, in a manner of speaking. Although, they're more your property. They'll be infinitely loyal; nevertheless, they're also your responsibility to care for and protect. You must provide clothing, shelter..."

  Abruptly, my concentration moved away from Adrian and onto Tsedaka. The maniac was carrying a blazing hot branding iron in the direction of my two new sidekicks. And, like total dumb asses, they were kneeling with their left arms held high in the air.

  "Stop!" I yelled, leaping out of my seat. "You're not gonna brand 'em. From my interpretation of this, well, whatever it is, they're mine and I'm..."

  "Sit down!" Tsedaka snapped. "You have no choice in the matter."

  "I won't stand for this, old man!"

  "Escort the princess back to her place," he growled, delaying his approach to motion at his guards.

  And, faster than I could blink, a group of them were hauling me to my throne. "Why are you creeps doing this?" I screamed, kicking at their knees and flailing my arms wildly.

  Of course, the pieces of crap neither answered nor stopped their ruthless onslaught. Surprise, surprise. With seemingly effortless ease, they repositioned me in my chair and encircled me so that I was unable to move. One of these days I'd have their asses for this, especially William. Goddamn he had it coming...

  "It's tradition," Tsedaka drawled, adopting his irritating monotone. "All slaves are branded with the mark of the royal house to whom they serve. Your infantile desires are of no consequence."

  Before I could protest further, he pressed the smoldering metal into the soft skin on the underside of Amelia's forearm. Seconds later he removed it, leaving behind a perfect red crescent moon. The inch long burn rested in the exact spot as my own birthmark. And, frankly, I had to give the girl credit. As meek as she appeared on the surface, she didn't even flinch. The same went for Lucien when his turn came; he took the pain without balking in the slightest.

  Horrified, I squeezed my eyes shut to the macabre scene and wondered what in the world we'd gotten ourselves into. Indifferent to my reservations, the festivities went on. The string quartet resumed their tedious harmonies, the onlookers gradually transferred their attention from me to those within their groups, and everyone proceeded to have a good ol' time. Dancing, chattering, laughing. Meanwhile, I sank deeper into my own muddled thoughts, desperately wishing I could wake myself from the nightmare that now defined my life.

  Chapter 9

  "May I have this dance?" Adrian asked as he bowed with a gallant flourish, nearly losing his crown in the process.

  Outwardly, I met his pretentious exhibition with a disinterested stare while silently observing the familiar tingles of anger that were creeping up my spine. For real, all the groveling irritated me worse than nails grating across a chalkboard. And a dance? Yeah sure, like I knew how to dance to the classical garbage they kept playing. Hadn't any of 'em ever heard of techno? Sigh.

  "I refuse to do that," I eventually sneered, pointing toward the center of the room. "Whatever the hell that is..."

  "It's the waltz and I'll show you how. Come on, don't be shy," he teased, a jovial smile accentuating his freakishly inviting lips.

  Perturbed, I glared at several onlookers that'd been gawking at me incessantly for the last hour before slowly returning my scrutiny to him. "Look, I'm sick of sitting on this stupid throne, being on display. How 'bout you help me get outta here? I mean, I'd prefer to escape and all. But, since I probably can't have that, I'll just settle for going back to my room."

  "It's customary for the honorees to remain until the festivities conclude. Nevertheless, you might be able to slip out early if you do something to make it seem as though you've exerted yourself." He paused to wink at me. "Dancing would be an excellent ruse."

  "Well then," I grumped, standing and taking his hand. "Dancing sounds wonderful."

  With a chuckle, Adrian led me to the edge of a circle that'd formed around the dancers. After which, he gazed straight into my eyes. "Relax, darling," he whispered, concentration lining his mouth as he moved closer. "I'll show you the steps."

  Briefly, I wondered how he was gonna teach me without actually being on the dance floor. H
owever, my skepticism rapidly dissipated when an uninvited flood of images bombarded my mind. Woozy, cramped, too much to process. Frantically, I wrenched my face away from his and croaked a gruff, "Shit! Stop that!"

  In a flash, Adrian backed off and shrugged his shoulders apologetically. "Sorry, it's the first time I've ever transferred information through a knowledge stream. My father advised me of the possibility, given the correct match of powers between participants. That said, I might've pushed it a bit far. Are you alright?"

  "I think so," I muttered, taking a second to explore my frazzled brain. Yep, everything appeared to be working fine, thank god. Crazy vamp mumbo-jumbo. "So, uh, I know the steps now and, um, well, a lot of other weird old dances. The pavane, the rigaudon..."

  "Oh my! I definitely overshot my mark. I haven't thought of those in centuries."

  "The really strange thing is that I remember how you were taught. Your teachers, a few of your dance partners, some of the parties you attended. And, I've gotta say, you looked pretty funny in tights and a powdery wig."

  Adrian's jaw dropped wide open. "You saw how I was dressed?"

  "Yeah, one of your lessons took place in front of a full length mirror," I snickered, halfheartedly attempting to stifle my laughter. "Don't worry, though, you were kinda cute. Total vampire chic."

  Cheeks reddening, he cleared his throat and stirred restlessly. "Well, seeing that we've gotten to know each other a little better, does that mean you're ready to dance?"

  I rolled my eyes. "As long as you promise never to teach me anything again."

  "If you prefer, I'll refrain from sending knowledge mind to mind without your permission," he replied in earnest, grabbing my hand and leading me to the middle of the circle. "I give you my word. That said, one day it may prove useful and, for this purpose, I won't bar myself completely."

  "You're always practical, aren't you?"